Deputy fatally shoots armed suspect outside Walmart in SW Miami-Dade: Sheriff

A deputy fatally shot an armed suspect during an altercation near a Walmart in southwest Miami-Dade Thursday morning, authorities said.

The incident unfolded around 7:15 a.m. at a Walmart supermarket in the area of South Dixie Highway and 211th Street.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero Stutz said the deputy was patrolling in the area when he was contacted by a loss prevention specialist that a person was stealing from the supermarket.

The suspect fled from the deputy, who pursued him until there was a physical altercation outside the supermarket, Cordero Stutz said.

During the altercation, the deputy saw the suspect was armed and opened fire, Cordero Stutz said.

The suspect fled but collapsed nearby and was given aid at the scene before he was taken to a nearby hospital.

Video showed the man being taken away by paramedics who were giving him CPR as he was placed in the back of an ambulance. He later died at the hospital.

The deputy, a 37-year-old who’s been with the sheriff’s office for five years, wasn’t injured and no other injuries were reported, Cordero Stutz said.

“We’re grateful, at this time, due to the circumstances that could have gone so much worse, that he was not injured and no innocent bystanders were injured,” Cordero Stutz said.

The sheriff didn’t say what type of weapon the suspect had and didn’t release the suspect’s identity but said he has an “extensive criminal past.”

Footage from the scene showed a large law enforcement presence and what appeared to be a gun in a holster on the ground outside the store.

A witness who works nearby said she saw the shooting unfold.

“I heard three gunshots, what I saw was some guy in a white t-shirt was running outside the Walmart parking lot and behind him was an officer that fired three times,” said Ana, who didn’t want to give her last name.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings.